Aston Martin has confirmed the Valkyrie, designed in conjunction with Red Bull, will race at Le Mans from 2021.
The World Endurance Championship is set to overhaul their LMP1 class with the creation of a replacement hypercar category which has attracted interest from several manufacturers.
However, on the day the new regulations are set to be announced, the British company has become the first to confirm their participation.
“The FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans represent the ultimate challenge for the Aston Martin Valkyrie – the world’s most extreme hypercar,” vice president David King said.
“Designed and built with the purpose of pushing boundaries on the road, it’s natural to conclude that the next stage in its development would be to measure its capabilities on the track.
“I can think of no better way to do that than to compete in a world championship and the most prestigious and famous race of all.”
The Valkyrie was developed by Red Bull design guru Adrian Newey with the goal of being faster than a Formula 1 car and certainly, watching it take on the Circuit de la Sarthe will be incredible.
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It may be joined at the iconic venue by another British manufacturer in McLaren, with CEO Zak Brown suggesting a return to endurance racing may be more palatable than a full-time IndyCar project.
“Now we’ve got the rule book, we are seriously looking at bringing McLaren back to endurance racing,” Brown reportedly told the Le Mans website.
“We wanted to be able to use a car we already make with technology we already have, and it looks like the new regulations will permit that.
“We like the look of the rules and we are considering taking part in the next WEC.
“If we want to take part in the 2020-21 season, we’ve no time to lose. Which means we’ll be deciding soon,” he added.
“If we commit to the WEC, it will be a completely separate campaign to F1.”
McLaren has history at Le Mans too winning with their iconic F1 GTR in 1995.
